Mobile offers brands best chance to engage with consumers worldwide and enjoy the feel good factor of the Games

Anticipation for the 2016 Games is building as Rio gets set to welcome the world. A survey of consumers in 17 countries that was commissioned by Facebook and carried out by GfK reveals that an average of 72% of people globally are enthusiastic about the Rio Games.

The Games is a time when the world comes together, and 2016 promises to be no exception. In our survey, nearly three quarters (74%) of those who are excited about the Games told us that nothing brings the world together like this global event. This is certainly a time to celebrate the global community, and the majority (74%) of people agree – they see the Games as being about “team victory” rather than “individual glory”.

Younger people and men most excited

Millennials (aged 18-35) are most likely to regard the Games as a team exercise. 84% of this group say that “national honor” is more important than “personal fame”, whereas Generation X are 1.3 times more likely than Younger Millennials (18-25) to say that “individual glory” is more important than “team victory”.

Men and young people exhibit the most enthusiasm. More than three quarters of men (76%) are enthusiastic about the Games compared to 68% of women. And while consumers of all ages have a large amount of enthusiasm, this peaks at 75% amongst Older Millennials aged 26-35.

According to the research, stereotypes relating to men’s competitive nature and sport are entirely true. Whereas women are 1.2 times more likely to say that the Games are about “friendly competition” rather than “fierce rivalries”, men disagree. They are one and a half times more likely than women to say that the Games are about “fierce rivalries” than “friendly competition”. Clearly, August will be a time when passions run high.

Mobile will take center stage at this year’s Games as people turn to their smartphones to watch key moments on-demand. 64% of consumers plan to use a mobile device to keep up to date with news of the Games, while just over half (51%) will watch replays on their mobile. Once again, younger consumers lead the way, with Millennials 1.3 times more likely than Generation Xers to follow the Games on their mobiles. Similarly, Younger Millennials (18-25) are also 1.3 times more likely to use Facebook to keep up with news and conversations about the Games.

The Rio Games offer marketers a golden chance to connect with global consumers. This is an opportunity to tap into a spirit of excitement and celebration of human achievement. And, this year, mobile offers the best hotline to engage with consumers. Brands that are able to offer Connected Consumers the latest news and sporting action in addition to relevant, targeted offers will find themselves at the top of the medals table at this year’s Games – and Games in the years to come.

Source: “2016 Rio Games” by GfK (Facebook-commissioned online study of 11,976 Facebook users and 2,395 non-users aged 18-55 in AU, AR, BR, CA, CO, DE, FR, ID, IN, IT, JP, KR, MX, PL, UK, US and ZA), March 2016. Data is on average across the 17 countries surveyed and, unless otherwise specified, is based on people surveyed who are enthusiastic about the Rio Games (i.e., they agreed they are “somewhat” or “very” enthusiastic).

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